There can be only one

Hey all,

Today Chance and I come to you from Lewisburg W.V. Why? We are visiting my mom and my brother and sister-in-law + the kids. SO far its been fun, and Chance has enjoyed being the puppy at the center of attention. He's gotten a little wound up from all the attention, but its not been bad. The only real problem has been Zack, my mom's 8 year old Pittbull/Red Healer mix. Don't get me wrong, Zack is a good dog. Its more the fact that he is here at all.

So why is it an issue? Quite simply other dogs are more interesting to play with and hang out with than me. The problem is Chance doesn't want to do his homework like training sessions or listen to his commands. Its caused a little trouble when working such as trying to ignore me.

I guess the lesson here is that when working and training a puppy to be a service animal its best to have only one. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard if Zack had the same training and commands as Chance, but he doesn't. For the next four days we are trying to keep our schedule more relaxed and like that of home. We are also doing two and three sessions a day and see how that works.

I'll let you all know how it goes, till later
Sara & Chance

Finding Chance part 2

Out of all the dogs and puppies born in a single year do you find the one that is right for you? Sounds like searching for a needle in a haystack, right? Yeah, well it is. I knew I needed a large breed dog, a puppy would be best, as I already owned 6 cats and 9 ferrets. An older dog would have a hard time adjusting to the household, so a puppy it would be.

I admit I was a little on the nervous side when I started to look. Yeah I had a series of three tests that would help me test the suitability of the dog, but their would be no way of really knowing without bringing the dog in my home and starting the training.

The test? Really simply actually...

1. Pinch Test : Pinch the skin between the dog's toes. They should yelp and pull the paw back, but forgive you after a moment or two. This tests a dog's physical sensitivity to things. You need it right in the middle, rather than an extreme on either side.
   
   
2. Noise Test : Make a sharp sudden noise such as a balloon popping or a pan hitting a tile floor. The pup should jump, but look around curiously for the source of the noise. This tests the pups audio sensitivity, and again should not be to either extreme, but right in the middle.
   
   
3. Retrieval Test : Toss a ball, plushy, sock, or other dog toy, and see if the dog goes after it. The dog should go after to investigate and show a general curiosity for the toy. He doesn't have to bring it back. This tests the dogs willingness to work with humans.

After a great deal of searching and talking with various different shelters I finally got in touch with one individual about a rather adorable St. Bernard puppy. The shelter was called P.A.W.S and was operated out of Cincinnati Ohio. Long story short, after several correspondences I was ready to give Chance a go. The shelter even agreed to give me a 30 day trial of sorts to help ensure that Chance would be the one.

Finding Chance part 1.

Finding the right dog is no small feet and took a lot of time. Once my roommates had agreed and given me the okay to look, I realized I had no idea what to look for. I started sporadically looking at any dog that seemed smart and caught my eye. I can't even count how many dogs I have looked through on pet-finder. Finally I came up with a list.

What does the dog have to do.

1. Stop me at all corners by sitting regardless of tugging till a command was given (My seizures cause me to wander)
   

   
   

2. A brace command. This would be where the dog braces himself to be leaned on and offer support. I can get disorientated and wobbly on my feet at times.
   

Why those commands? Simple, my seizures come on too fast and are gone too quickly to really make use of a dog telling me about them. It is more useful to use the animal to assist with the effects of the seizure.

I also had to take into account my lifestyle, household and any prejudices I may have had to other breeds. I had had a dog before that had given may have affected they way I looked at the new dog. Not really wanting to carry baggage into this meant labs were out. Darn.

So now I knew I would need a large breed dog, a sturdy dog, a smart human dependent breed, and able to get along with 6 cats and 9 ferrets. Seems like a lot and it was overwhelming as all get out. so...what next?

More later,
Chance & Sara

Begin at the beginning

I am epileptic. What is epilepsy? Basically its a broad term name/diagnoses for an electrical problem in the brain that causes seizures unrelated to other conditions such as low blood sugar or alcohol. I also have tried every medicine they have on the market for my particular types of seizures *Petit mals* I have a high sensitivity to medications and that causes problems with side effects. After a slew of neurologists with accents so thick I need a translator each appointment, pill pushers, and being overdosed on anti-seizure meds, alternative therapies sounded really good and one thing stood out in my mind.

When I was 15 I saw a dog on tv that worked with a person who had epilepsy. How cool was that. I remember sitting on the stairs waiting for my dad to come home so I could tell him. Despite my excitement and telling him all the things the dog could do all he heard was "I want a pet dog that you'll have to pay for and clean up after." So I waited.

When college was not working out well, mostly due to medical withdrawals I decided to start looking into one. As soon as I sat down to fill out the applications I discovered my greatest opposition. A Dr. had to say this was a good idea. If you have ever been to a neurologist, you will know that 9 times out of 10, they want to give you a drug and see how it goes.

Being stubborn and uneducated in the matter I thought I could do it myself. Yeah, picking a dog out of tons of possibilities is not that easy. I finally opted for a Collie that was on the list to be put down. She seemed outgoing enough and I had memories of Lassie in my head. Good breed right? Yeah no. I am happy to say Hailey Bell now lives a wonderful life with my sister-in-laws parents.

Long story short I have had ups and downs, dogs that don't work, and a misunderstanding family that can not make the distinction between service animal and pet. Now here I am at 27 and finally have my dog. Chance. Okay he has some work to do, but being only 4 months lets give him a little break, yeah? So the goal of this blog? Over the next year I hope to document Chance's training , both ups and downs, and offer those who may be looking for an alternative other than a 5 year waiting minimum and dropping between $3,000-$5,000 dollars in one shot. I'd like to eventually train others to take their chance and train the dogs themselves, but we have to begin at the beginning. By the way...this is Chance.

Wish us luck.
Sara & Chance